If you are a college sports fan then you know that the month of March is the time to find out who is the best college basketball team in the country. A committee picks the top 68 teams based on record, toughness of their opponents, and several other factors. They seed or rank them and set up brackets. Those brackets are games that you play and, if you win, you move on; if you lose, your season is over. The NCAA Wrestling Tournament also happens in March. The same thing happens there except the individuals at each weight class are seeded in brackets.
My experiences over the years prove something to me.
Well, I am a bit of a sports fan and have watched the basketball games and teams over the years. I have also been to two or three NCAA Wrestling Championships over the years. I regularly watch the semifinals and finals of the wrestling tournament. One of the announcers this last weekend was someone from my high school that I wrestled on a daily basis in practice while in high school. He went on to win an individual National Championship and coached Iowa State to a team Championship in 1987.
As I look at the difference from the teams and individuals that make it farther in the bracket and end up winning a championship, I keep coming back to one thing. Although many people would say that the difference is athletic ability, I would disagree. I feel the difference is all above the neck. It is a mind-set. If you look at the greatest of all time in most sports, those individuals have a drive to succeed. I believe that is just called pride. Pride to be the best, pride to accomplish a goal, pride in what they do.
Another thing that sticks out to me is those same successful groups and individuals don’t provide excuses of why it can’t happen or why it didn’t happen. They just readjust and work harder to make it happen. Dan Gable, one of the greatest wrestlers in the world got beat in his last collegiate wrestling meet. By the way, that was his only defeat in high school or college. All he said afterward was that had been the first time he wrestled not to lose rather than to win.
What did Dan Gable do after that loss? Dan trained and worked harder to be the best in the world. So, what did he do? He went to the 1972 Olympics and won the gold medal. Not only that, but he also didn’t surrender a point in the Olympics. He won three times by fall and won matches by the scores of 20-0, 6-0, and 3-0.
I think that same pride and drive is true of our units. I think that our units that are successful and provide the best program are the units that have a pride in what they do, in the program they provide for their youth. To me successful people, organizations, teams, etc, are those that have that pride.
If you think about it, don’t our Scouts have pride? They have a drive that a lot of our youth in society don’t have. I met a guy once that grew up on a ranch just outside of Cimarron, New
Mexico. So, he grew up very close to Philmont Scout Ranch. I asked him if he was an Eagle Scout. He told me he wasn’t. He explained to me the reason he wasn’t was that his best friend was an Eagle Scout and in his opinion his friend did the best Eagle project that could be done. He felt he couldn’t do a better project, so he stopped working on his Eagle. Imagine if he had the drive and the pride to be the best, what he could have accomplished. He would also now be an Eagle Scout.
I am throwing out a challenge to our units. That challenge is to have pride in your unit! Be the best unit in the council. It is also to not provide excuses on why your unit can’t be the best. Work hard, get trained, make it happen!
Help us make Scouting the greatest youth program in the country!!
As always, you all have my appreciation for what you do in Scouting! Thank you for taking the time to read this article! And, again, thank you so much for your time, energy, and dedication to Scouting!
Yours in Scouting,
